All of You
by averygirl
Summary: Gwen tries to put the pain of her past behind her. Rafe is willing to help her do just that. A Gwen Hotchkiss/Rafe Hernandez crossover story.
1. Adore, Beautiful, Careless, Dad

**All of You**

_**A Days of Our Lives and Passions crossover "starring" Rafe Hernandez and Gwen Hotchkiss. Enjoy and please remember, feedback is love!**_

**A – Adore**

She had adored Ethan, she had loved him so much, and what had it ever gotten her but heartache and a dead baby girl? She had had lots of time in prison to realize that she had chased a dream, a fantasy, for years that wasn't even close to reality.

As soon as she got out of prison, she knew she was not going back to Harmony. She needed a fresh start more than anything. She pressed her finger down on a map randomly and peeled it away to see a little dot called Salem. She would go there. It would be the perfect place to blend in and start over.

xoxox

_Perfect place?_ She wondered as she sat in her hotel room for the second day and watched the snow coming down behind her windowpane. It was October. Since when did it snow anywhere in October?

She sighed and decided she needed a break from these four walls. She bundled into a thin jacket and walked outside the Salem Inn. The snow had stopped falling and just thick, white powder remained. She suddenly had the strongest urge to make a snow angel – something she hadn't done since she was a child and her parents would send her outdoors to get her out of their hair.

She slowly lowered herself to the ground and spread her arms and legs wide. Just then she felt rather than saw someone approaching. She was about to yell at them to watch out, let them know that there was someone here, but there was no time. He or she clearly wasn't paying attention because in the next moment they were tripping over Gwen's skinny foot and landing right on top of her.

"Owww!" They both growled out at the same time. Gwen to chew the guy out but one look at him and his chiseled, perfect features and big brown eyes made her unable to do it. Especially because he looked just like …

"Luis?" She asked.

* * *

><p><span><strong>B – Beautiful<strong>

"Luis?" She asked again. "What are you doing in Salem?"

Rafe narrowed his eyes at her. "My name's not Luis. It's Rafe. Rafe Hernandez."

"Okay… but you look just like this man I used to know. A man from another lifetime it seems."

"Were you two boyfriend and girlfriend or something?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Hardly. He could barely stand me most days I think. But you look so much like him …"

"Well I guess it's true what they say - we all have a lookalike in this world after all," Rafe said. "Is he at least handsome?"

"He's … beautiful," she said and blushed. "Now don't let that go to your head."

"Never," Rafe said facetiously.

"So… Do you mind getting off of me now?"

Rafe coughed and rolled off of her. He flopped onto the cold ground beside her and then jumped to his feet. "You never told me your name," he said.

"You never told me why you were running so fast, not looking where you were going."

"I was chasing a dream. All it is is a dream."

The blonde pulled herself up to a sitting position and looked at him with a little smirk on her face. "That's profound."

"Yeah I have my … profound moments," Rafe said. He stared at her and then offered her his hand to pull her up.

"No, thanks," she said. "I think I'll just make snow angels for a while."

"You're not going to tell me your name or why you're in Salem, are you?"

She shook her head as she spread her arms wide and dropped back into the snow. "Nope. I don't believe in telling stranger's personal information."

"I fell on you. We are not strangers anymore."

"Well when you put it that way …" She smirked and shook her head. "Nope, I think I prefer to keep you guessing."

He shook his head at her and then turned and walked off. He didn't realize it but he was still smiling.

* * *

><p><span><strong>C – Careless<strong>

"You were careless, Sami," Rafe reprimanded her. "I saw you with him - _again."_

"Rafe, please," Sami pleaded, "I love you. You know I do."

"Oh you have no idea what love is, Sami, and now I'm really done. Go back to EJ."

He then turned on his heel, regretting throwing a fit in front of everyone at The Brady Pub. But he didn't regret it when he accidentally slammed into the blonde he had literally fallen for a few days before.

"Hey, it's you," he said.

"Yeah, it's me," she agreed with a smile. "You and your girlfriend okay?"

"You heard that huh?"

"I think everyone did."

"Oh … Well actually she is my ex-wife."

"Ex huh?" The woman mused like she was tossing around an idea around in her mind but she held it back and just said, "Well it was nice seeing you again, Rafe. Thanks for not falling on me this time."

Rafe smirked in spite of himself. "You ever going to tell me your name?"

"Not today," she said and then scooted past him. He just shook his head and walked out of there before he could change his mind.

* * *

><p><span><strong>D – Dad<strong>

It had been a week since he had last seen her and he found that despite not knowing anything about her or even her name, that she was in his thoughts constantly. So he considered it fortunate when he spotted the beautiful blonde sitting on a bench in Salem Park one afternoon.

"Hey, you going to tell me your name now?" Rafe asked playfully. He thought they'd launch into another round of teasing and flirting but as she looked up at him, he saw pain in her big brown eyes.

He immediately dropped down onto the bench beside her. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, feeling instinctively that he needed to reach out to her.

She sniffled and he was thankful she didn't try to say she was okay because he could clearly see she wasn't. "It's my father … He died three nights ago."

Rafe shifted on the bench. "I'm so sorry to hear that." He meant it too.

"Jonathan Hotchkiss was far from perfect but he was still my dad and I am going to miss him. My mom wants me to come home for the funeral but I don't know if I can… I would have to face my past and the things I did that were less than shall we say, savory."

"Look I don't know what you've been through or what you've done but you deserve the chance to say goodbye to your father. I am sure he loved you a lot."

"He did but he wanted a boy from the moment he learned my mom was expecting. However, for all his faults, he would do anything for me. I guess I owe him one so you are right, I have to go back to Harmony."

"I think you'll be glad you did. I never really got to say goodbye to my Pop and though things were far from perfect between us, I wish I had had the chance to wish his spirit well."

She looked up at him. Her tears had dried a bit. "Well I'd better go and book the flight."

"Okay, good luck," Rafe said. He watched her stand and turn to leave but then she looked back at him.

"Gwen," she said.

"Huh?"

"Gwen … That's my name… Gwen Hotchkiss."

And then she was gone, somehow taking a little piece of him with her. He didn't know if he would ever see her again but damned if he didn't want to.


	2. Endure

**E – Endure**

Following her father's funeral, Gwen opted to stay at the Harmony Cemetery and visit the grave of her little Sarah instead of being forced to endure an awkward wake.

She touched Sarah's headstone. This was all she had left of her baby. How she missed the little girl who had never so much as taken her first breath. How she missed her father Jonathan too, despite all their many differences. She had lost so much. Had it all been her fault as everyone said it was, or had fate – that damned word – just turned against her?

"I love you, Sarah, always," she whispered. She pressed a kiss into the palm of her gloved hand before pressing it to the chilled granite. "I hope wherever you are, you're wonderfully happy."

XoXoxoo

Gwen stayed at the cemetery for over two hours. When she returned to her father's house it was evening time and everyone was gone but her mother who was sidled up to the family's longtime lawyer Grayson.

"Are you sure, Grayson? Absolutely sure that my dear, sweet husband left nothing to me?" Rebecca asked as she touched Grayson's sloping shoulder, giving it a gentle massage. Gwen rolled her eyes and started in the opposite direction.

"I'm sure," she overheard Grayson say. "Your daughter inherited everything."

Gwen paused in her steps for a moment. Wait a moment there. Jonathan had actually left Gwen all of his assets? That made no sense. He hadn't once visited her while she was in prison. So why leave her so much as a penny?

She shook her head and slipped into the kitchen. Tons of food remained sitting out and she plucked a piece of Swiss cheese off of a silver tray. She wasn't very hungry but knew she had to eat sometime.

Gwen predicted that at any moment her mother was going to come running in there. Sure enough, not one minute later, Rebecca came skidding into the kitchen on her red high heels. No basic funeral-black for her.

"Gwennie!" Rebecca crowed. "You're never going to believe what Grayson told me!"

"Regal me, Mother," Gwen said sardonically.

Rebecca either ignored or failed to notice her sarcasm. She grabbed Gwen enthusiastically by her thin arms. "You inherited everything, Gwen! Absolutely everything that Jonathan ever owned or stole – the house, the cars, _the money._ Lots and lots of money! He accepted kickbacks you know, when he was in office, and he invested the inheritance that he squirreled away from me very well and –"

"I don't want it."

Rebecca peered at her closely. "Gwennie, did you just say-"

"You heard me. I don't want a penny of his money. You can have everything."

"Gwen, please be serious now. This is our ticket back into the world of the Harmony elite. We can use the money to somehow send Tacosita back to the barrio where she belongs. You can have Ethan back and –"

"Stop!"

"Gwen…"

"Stop it, I said," Gwen snapped, rubbing her forehead. "I don't want anything to do with any of that, Mother. Chasing Ethan and trying to best Theresa cost me everything and I'm just done with that life. If I wasn't sure about that before, sitting beside my daughter's grave drove the point right home. This place is bad for me and I'm bad for it."

"But, Gwen, it's your legacy."

"Well I reject that legacy. I am sorry if that hurts you but I'm not sticking around here a second longer than I have to."

"Where are you going to go – back to that Podunk little nowheresville town ... What was it called again?"

"Salem. And yes I am going back there."

"Why?"

"Because it's the perfect place to start over… And I sort of made a friend there."

"A male friend?" Rebecca's eyes twinkled. "Is he-?"

"He's not rich, Mother," Gwen said. "Not that I can tell anyway and even if he was, I'm not interested in him like that. It's just nice to have someone look at me and not see a monster."

"Does he know that you were in prison?"

Gwen shook her head. "No."

"And if he rejects you because of your shall we say, colorful history?"

"Then I'll move on. I'll be okay, Mom. No one can ever hurt me worse than I have myself. So please, take the cars, the jewels, the dresses, the money. It's all yours."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Rebecca touched her daughter's soft cheek. "I'm proud of you, Gwen. You've done the one thing I never have – had the courage to move on."

"You could come with me, you know."

"I'm not ready yet," Rebecca admitted. "Maybe someday, but not yet. But you go out there and be fabulous, alright?"

"Alright…"

"Oh and you must keep in touch. I want to know about any and all developments with your 'friend'."

"He really is just a friend. More like an acquaintance, actually."

"I never met a man who could resist our feminine charms."

"Mother..."

"Oh okay, never mind." Rebecca smiled. "I know I didn't say it much but I love you, Gwennie."

"I love you too, Mother. I do. Take care okay?"

"You too, Gwennie, you too."


	3. Friend

_**This is a short update but I hope you all like it anyway!**_

**F – Friend**

"Hey, look who's back in town," Rafe said, catching sight of her the moment that she walked into The Brady Pub.

"So I am," Gwen said.

Rafe stood and pulled out the chair opposite of him, gesturing for her to take a seat. She slipped into it and offered him a little smile. "How have you been?" He asked. "I mean, given the circumstances with-"

"My father dying?" Gwen said.

"Yeah…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "You have my condolences… I lost my baby sister not too long ago and there are some days that she's all I can think about."

"Thanks," Gwen murmured. She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment as she watched him return to his seat beside her. "But honestly, I am no stranger to being left behind." Sarah weighed heavily on her mind and heart today. So did Jonathan for that matter. She would probably never see him again. She missed them both. Her arms felt as empty as her heart.

Rafe studied the wary expression on her face. "I'm sorry."

So many people said that they were sorry the losses she had endure, but looking at Rafe, she actually_ believed_ him. "Thank you."

"Of course… So will you be sticking around Salem for awhile?"

"I think so. But I really need to find a job and fast."

"What kind of job are you looking for?"

"I don't know. I have a background in PR but it would be hard to get hired again, given my –"

"Given your what?"

She sighed. She decided to just get it all out there. If Rafe ran away screaming, then she would know exactly what kind of man he was. "I have a police record, Rafe."

Rafe looked at her earnestly. "Oh… Well, look, you don't have to explain anything to me."

"You don't look disgusted."

"That's because I'm _not_ disgusted. Everyone has a past, Gwen; everyone makes mistakes. If I've learned anything as a police officer-"

Gwen blinked. "You're an officer?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, this is ironic, to say the least. Here you are being so understanding... Don't you want to run to your cop database and look me up?"

"No because something tells me you aren't the same person who did … whatever you did."

"I don't actually know who I am anymore," Gwen admitted. "I used to think I knew but no, no, I don't."

"Well you have time to find out - lots of time," Rafe said gently. "Look, I know the owner of this little pub we're sitting in pretty well… If you wouldn't mind slinging clam chowder and hash… I'll vouch for you."

Gwen sighed. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Maybe I see a fellow lost soul and I want to help."

"So what - I'm a charity case now?"

"No, that's not what I meant. I just know what it's like to be down on your luck… I think you need a second chance. I also think you need a friend and I'd like to try to be one if you'll let me."

"I guess I _could_ use a second chance … and a friend."

Rafe smiled at her. "So should I put a bug in the owner's ear about getting you a job?"

"I'd appreciate that," Gwen said. "Thank you, Rafe."

"Anytime… Anytime…"


End file.
